Disclaimer: Just a little something I threw together with vampires. Enjoy.
The eight-year-old boy tossed and turned in his bed. A nightmare had wrapped around his brain. He couldn't escape it.
His bright green eyes flew open. He panted heavily. He gazed out the window from his bed. A branch from a tree stretched toward his window like a claw. On nights when the wind was strong enough, it looked like the branch was shaking in front of him, ready to grab.
His mother did her best to convince him that he was safe from the branch and anything that might harm him. She told him that there were no monsters out there. Even though she didn't entirely believe it herself, she would've done anything to protect her son.
The boy's breathing slowed down. He was starting to feel calm.
A dark shadow brushed by the window in a split second. The boy stifled a gasp. Slowly, he got out of bed and rushed down the hall.
He ran toward his mother's room, hoping that she would allay his fears about the monsters.
The door was cracked open. The vanity mirror against the wall was all the boy could see through the crack, but it was enough.
He saw his mother in the mirror's reflection. It was if she had been lifted out of bed. The boy could see his mother's blood smeared all over her body. Her eyes rolled back into her head. Her life force slowly ebbing away. Her skin losing its luster.
All the boy could do was watch as the woman who loved him was killed. He ran back into his room and hid under the bed, tears stinging at his eyes.
The boy heard footprints approaching his room. He covered his mouth, not allowing any sound to come out.
The door flew open. All the boy could see were a pair of boots walking around. The boy kept his crying as quiet as he could.
After what sounded like a snort, the boots disappeared, replaced with a flapping noise.
Certain the menace was gone, the boy called the police.
They were far more helpful with getting him a new place to live than with the investigation. They were certain that the boy's father was responsible, until they remembered that he was murdered in a similar fashion days ago.
The boy was unsure what had taken his mother, but he swore that he would, one day, find out.
"Trent!" A young man, slim and blonde, hung off the front door of the dorm room.
The boy had grown up into a handsome young man. In the years since his mother's murder, Trent found that the responsible party was a vampire. He read up on vampires and found that there were several ways to kill them: a stake through the heart, garlic, Holy water or exposure to sunlight. His devotion to stopping this plague upon mankind had precluded a social life.
Trent tore himself away from a book he'd checked out only minutes ago. "Yes, Geoff?"
"A rockin' party in twenty with our names on it."
"Nah. Got a ton of homework." Trent tugged at his turtleneck. Even in eighty-degree weather, he was never seen without one.
"Have it your way, bro." Geoff gave the door a knock and hustled off. He was a nice guy, if a little too unconcerned about applying himself in his classes.
The joke was on him, though. Trent had no homework. On nights that he did, he was careful to get it done as quickly as he could.
There were more important things to worry about.
Trent had booked the latest hour for the college fitness center. Around this time of night, the people using it were either studying or partying.
If he were to embark on this path, he would have to be in peak physical shape. His routine consisted of weight training and calisthenics. He got a running start and launched into a few barrel rolls. Producing a stake from his pocket, he drove it hard, imagining a creature in front of him.
He turned around and repeated the process. So focused was he that he barely noticed the young woman in the path of his stake. He stopped himself that the tip of the stake only brushed the woman's blouse.
Trent pocketed the stake as if he were holstering a gun. "That's a good way to get killed."
"I'm sorry."
Trent gave the girl a sideways glance. "You're in my advanced calc class, aren't you?"
"Yes. I'm Courtney." From what he'd seen, she was a straight-arrow girl who, despite being a little high-strung, seemed very nice.
"The gym's about to close, so I'm not sure if you'll get a whole lot done."
"Actually, I'm here for you."
"Probably not for tutoring, I bet."
"No. I think you can help me."
"What with?"
"Vampires."
Trent narrowed his eyes.
"If this is some kind of joke, I'm not in a laughing mood. I got enough of that from the campus police."
"I'm serious." Trent could hear the anguish in her voice. She was. "My boyfriend, Duncan…I saw him outside my window last night." Courtney's voice began to quaver. "His eyes glowing red. Fangs bared. He was staring at me for the longest time. Just staring."
"And you need me to kill him?"
"No!" Courtney practically shrieked the word out. "Please. I still love him."
Trent packed his gym bag. "Girls falling for the bad boys. Same old story."
"Duncan wasn't always so bad. We had our problems, but we loved each other. I just want him back. Maybe, if you kill the vampire who changed him, it'll turn him human again."
Trent glanced back at Courtney.
"You're not the only one who does research."
Trent stalked off.
"From what I hear, I'm not the only person to lose someone to a vampire."
Trent stopped walking.
"Please."
Trent sighed. Sometimes, he hated himself for his sympathy. "Fine."
"Thank you."
"You know, you really ought to get back to your dorm. It's not safe being out on your own."
"Don't worry. I have an escort."
"Is he packing?"
"I hope so."
Trent grabbed a cross from his gym bag. "Not quite what I meant."
"I'll be fine."
"Night, Courtney."
Courtney exited Packard Hall. To her surprise, there was no sign of the officer who was waiting outside. She turned and saw the mobile cart parked near some bushes.
"What's going on? Are you all right?"
Courtney saw the officer slumped over the wheel. She lightly poked him. He fell out of the driver's seat, his neck ripped open. Blood smeared the front of his clothing and the steering wheel.
She reared back with a shriek.
"Music to my ears."
Courtney gazed into the sky. The voice was familiar to her, and yet, completely alien. She ran as fast as she could, but the creature swooped down on her, knocking her to the ground.
He picked her up and turned her around, her neck exposed.
"No…"
"This will only hurt for a moment, princess." The creature's fangs grew as he sunk into Courtney's neck.
She hit him repeatedly, hoping to loosen his grip. After a few moments, her arm fell, her strength depleted.
The creature carried Courtney's limp body into the air. Two stray drops of blood fell from her neck and hit the edge of the pavement just off the grass. Unless someone were really looking for it, no one would ever see it.
Trent trod down the path. He shivered a little. This bothered him, as it was seventy degrees that night. Something didn't seem right.
Trent fingered the stake in his pocket. He continued to walk the path, ever vigilant. He tripped a little when his foot caught the edge of the pavement.
He picked himself up and headed toward his dorm, unaware of the blood stain that collected on the bottom of his shoe…